The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-07-21
ANOTHER WAR STORY.
SAID TO HAVE BEEN TOLD by JET.
FERSON DAVIS.

| President Assassinutcd.
The Baltimore Morning Herald pub
fishes siX-column contribution giving
an account Of recent important inter-
views with Jefferson Davis. In these
interviews Mr.. Davis, among many 9TH
er things, charges that the Federal gov
ernment conspircd during the late war
to have him assassinated. On this sub
ject Mr.. Davis says:
"While the Confederate government
was at Montgomery, Ala, in 1861, [ re-
celved an anonymous letter from Phila-
dclphia, the substance of which was that
the government Of Pennsylvania had re-
leased noted desperate from the peni-
tentlary upon the condition that he
would go to Montgomery and assassi-
nate me, with the promise of reward
OF SIOO, zoo If he succeeded; that after
release the man stated that he could not
probably succeed alone, and gave the
name OF another convict of character
like his own with whose assistance he
|
convict WAS released to accompany the
! first.
"About the time when this letter was
received | was going from my Office to
my residence. | observed q man squat
ting down by the brick wall, which was
about three feet high and upon which
the yard paling rested. [ had gone
few steps before the position of this nan
SO impressed me as induced me to 20
and look after him. Then walking back
toward the corner of the fence behind
which he was crouching, l saw him look
ing over the wall toward the gate through
which was expected to entor, but as |
reached the corner he jumped up end
ran toward the rear Of the lot upon
which my residence stood, where there
was an alley. [ followed him rapidly,
but when L had reached the alley he had
disappeared. The only way in which he
could have escaped appeared to be
through gate which led into my stable.
ImthGr went and found my servant in
the lott throwing down hay, who, upon
inquiry, denied that anybody had come
there. lie was n servant had raised,
IN whom, as aitCrward learned, [ had a
misplaced confidence. Accepting his
statement as true and making fruitless
search elsewhere, the hunt was abandon
Ell. But the warming received was not
forgotten. The Commissary General,
Colonel Northrop, my friend and old
army comrade, soon thereafter went
with me by rail to Richmond, and was
on the alert during the whole trip fol
the r2appearance of the assassin.
81 sent the anonymous letter to Mr..
William Is. Reed, of Philadelphia, ask
ing HIM to make such inquiry as would
verify or dl8provc its allegations. If he
ever replied L do not know, as commu-
nlc&tlons were closed soon after that.
"Whllc III Richmond it was my habit
to ride out often i'll the afternoon to visit
the defensive works we were construct
ing around the capital. On oDe occa-
sion, accompanied by my aid, Colonel
William Preston johnson, L had ridden
across Glllls creek and was going up the
creek and was going up the hill when a
rifle ball whizzod just behind me and in
front of Colonel Johnston, who was
riding by my side n little il the rear.
Warning him to seem as if nothing had
occurred, we rode rapidly round an I'M
occupied house, from which it was
thought the shot must have been fired,
and from which wo could see distinctly
the ground over which any ono must
have fled, if, after firing, he had taken
to flight. No one was visible. After
returning to the city in the evening
Colonel Johnston went to the provost
marshal, who sent out somo mon more
8klllful than We had been to make a fur
thcr search in the house.
"Ihey found IN the upper story some
plank out OF the floor so that they could
be removed, and underneath that found
a man with rifle, who gave lame ac-
count of himself rs hiding there to avoid
conscrlptlOn. His story Of being en-
ploycd at bakery in the city was found
upon inquiry unfoundCd. The next
morning | was notified that the man,
with liberal retainer in gold had en-
ploycd lawyer to sue out writ of
habcaS corpus. Aware that though the
circumstantial evidence might produce
! moral conviction, that he would proba-
by be discharged i'll compliance with the
writ, and that the man was of proper
age and physical vigor for soldier, /
directed him to be sent to General Lee
at Petersburg, with an explanatory note,
and the hope that he would be put in
the front hno to stop ball intended for
a better man. What became Of him
never learned, matters of larger import
ance cngrossing the attention of General
Lee, as well as myself.
"On another occasion, returning from
an afternoon ride with my aid, Colonel
Joseph Il. Davis, just as we entered the
suburbs Of Richmond u shot was fred
from behind high garden wall at very
close range, but without effect. We rode
up to the wall, and by rising in our stir
rups, looked over into the garden, but
no person could be seen. 1t was
twilight, and the shrubbery afforded
some means OF cOnccalment and escape,
"Ihero were many reasons before the
Dahlgrcn raid for believing that efforts
inconsistent with tho rules of war as
practlscd by civilized nations were made
to secure assassination, especially of the
president, and to acquire information bv
spies, rGsldcI and transitory, and that
largo rewards were offered for such SER
wees, including arson and murder.
ION one occasion when l was known
to be travelling on q railroad to the army
information was brought by a lady, who
had overheard tho conversation in q
| barn. that ObstT11ntiOpo ,,,o,,o. l. -